Wal-Mart learns a lesson in copyright licensing the hard way A story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal (via Bill Patry) illustrates how important it is for parties to a transaction to know what they're getting up-front. Starting way back in the 1970s, Wal-Mart hired an outside company, Flagler Productions, to document various aspects of Wal-Mart's operations. Flagler produced videos of Wal-Mart corporate officers and directors, […] Continue Reading →
All versions of MPEP now available on USPTO website The USPTO has now made available all prior editions of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure on its website here. This is great news for those who have ever had to try to track down a version of the MPEP that was more than about 10 years old, as they had not previously been easily […] Continue Reading →
Motions for summary judgment in claim and continuation rules case taken under advisement We've just received word that the hearing on the motions for summary judgment in the consolidated cases challenging the USPTO's claim and continuation rules has concluded, and the motions have been taken under advisement. So, no ruling from the bench today, and no hint as to when a ruling might be expected. Continue Reading →
Summary of today’s summary judgment hearing in the claim and continuation rule cases As we reported earlier, Judge Cacheris took the parties' motions for summary judgment under advisement in the consolidated cases challenging the USPTO's claim and continuation rules. Below is a summary of the hearing from our representative who was in attendance. Tafas and GSK butted heads with the USPTO again today in front of a packed […] Continue Reading →
Reply briefs filed in claim and continuation rules case; administration opposes patent reform Late Friday, the parties filed their reply briefs in the cases challenging the USPTO's claim and continuation rules. As with the parties' opposition filings, these briefs largely represent another repetition of the arguments raised in the parties motions for summary judgment. The motions have now been fully briefed, and the hearing on the parties' motions […] Continue Reading →
Patent Reform Act of 2007 scheduled for consideration this month The Patent Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1145) is now officially back on the radar. It was recently placed on the Senate's calendar, and is likely to be considered by the full Senate sometime this month. This has resulted in a corresponding increase in the lobbying efforts by those on both sides of the debate. […] Continue Reading →
EU highest court rules ISPs not required to identify P2P users allegedly infringing copyrights In a decision released today, the highest court in the EU, the European Court of Justice, ruled that under EU law, internet service providers (ISPs) are not required, in the course of a civil lawsuit, to disclose the identity of an individual subscriber associated with a particular IP address. The case arose out of an […] Continue Reading →
USPTO to start enforcing requirement that inventor oaths include reference to duty of disclosure In a notice dated yesterday, the USPTO announced that it will begin enforcing compliance with 37 C.F.R. § 1.63(b)(3), which requires that inventor oaths include an acknowledgement of the duty to disclose information material to patentability under 37 C.F.R. § 1.56. Oaths filed on or after June 1, 2008 will have to have the language […] Continue Reading →
Patent Reform Act of 2007 to be passed in 2008? The internet is abuzz with talk that the much-maligned Patent Reform Act of 2007 (H.R. 1908 & S. 1145) may be passed in some form this month. A draft version of the Senate Judiciary Committee's report on the bill was released earlier this week, and while it does not contain any revised provisions, it does […] Continue Reading →
USPTO to be closed December 24 In a press release today, the USPTO announced it will be closed on December 24. December 25 is, of course, a federal holiday, meaning the USPTO will be closed for four consecutive days. From the release: Any action or fee due on those days (or the preceding Saturday (December 22, 2007) or Sunday (December 23, […] Continue Reading →